MITTEN SHAPED COOKIE CUTTER RECIPES

Steps:

• In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in ground almonds and as much of the flour as you can with mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Cover and chill 2 hours or until easy to handle.
• Preheat oven to 375° F. Using 1/3 cup dough for each cookie, shape dough into balls. Place on a parchment-lined or ungreased cookie sheet; cover with plastic wrap and flatten with hand or bottom of a pie plate to 4- to 5-inch rounds, placing cookies 1 1/2 inches apart.
• Place a mitten cookie cutter or a stencil* atop the cookie; sprinkle colored sugar inside the cutter or stencil. Remove and repeat with remaining cookies. Bake about 14 minutes or until edges are firm and bottoms are browned. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl; set aside.
• Place sugar, cold butter, and 1/8 teaspoon red food color into bowl of heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat at medium speed until well combined. Add egg, vanilla and almond extract; beat until well mixed. Gradually add flour mixture, beating at low speed until just combined.  
• Knead dough to incorporate crumbs and form a smooth dough. Remove half of dough from bowl.  Add 1/4 teaspoon red food color to dough remaining in bowl. Mix just until well combined. 
• Roll out each section of dough on lightly floured surface into rectangle that is slightly thicker than 1/8-inch. Cut rectangles into 3/4-inch strips. Weave red dough with pink dough, leaving no space in between, to create a basket weave pattern (use same technique as a lattice top pie). Gently press together using rolling pin.
• Cut weaved dough using 2 1/2-inch mitten-shaped cookie cutter dipped into flour.  Using small metal spatula, place onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet; remove to cooling rack.  
• Use remaining dough to create marbled cookies. Gently press dough together. Roll out to 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with mitten-shaped cookie cutter. Place onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.